Runa's Curse (Curse of Armageddon rewritten)
by Altruistic Penguin
Summary: (Temporary title) In the far future, someone or something has been attacking the world. No warning. No reasons. No survivors. No witnesses. Until now. When footage from an attacked area shows a sibling long thought lost, the Nordics are shocked. With more questions than answers, they set out to find her and stop her rampage.
1. Prologue

**Standard disclaimer: I do not own Hetalia or any of the characters. Hetalia belongs to Hidekaz Himaruya. The only characters I "own" in this story are my OCs.** **Yes, I'm yet another person with an Atlantis OC. *shrugs* I also have another OC, but you'll see that one in a later chapter, so I'll discuss it there.**

 **Opinions and/or constructive criticism are always welcome. Also, feel free to point out any errors. I do go over what I've written, but it's always possible to overlook something.**

 **This story is Rated T for slight language, violence (in future chapters) and references to violence. For now, it won't be very graphic (I'll try to get the point across without too much detail in other words), but if it does become graphic or could be taken as such, I'll adjust the rating to M.**

 **Apart from references/mentions of actual historical events here and there, this story is historically inaccurate.** **Characters may speak and/or act out of character every now and then, but this is because they will only need certain parts of their canon personality in this story due to it being an alternate universe.** **Consider that your heads-up.**

 **Question: How do I maintain indent spacing at the beginning of paragraphs? It seems that no matter what I try, or how many times I edit, the indents don't stay, and instead, the text goes all the way to the left side. Am I overlooking something, or is that just how this site is?**

 **Additional author's notes will be below.**

 _The full moon hung in the sky, its pale light giving the surrounding woods an ethereal appearance. Emil and his brothers were seated around a campfire, or at least, they had been. At that moment, Mathias and Berwald were standing toe-to-toe and arguing, each looking very pissed off. Tino was trying to break it up without much success, Lukas was trying to finish his dinner, and he was just watching it all._

 _"What's going on?"_ _A small voice spoke suddenly. They all fell silent and turned to look at one of the tents, where a little girl was standing. Her long, blonde hair fell about her small, pointed face, some parts sticking out; a classic "bed-head" look._

 _"Oh, Runa, did we wake you up?" Tino asked._

 _Runa nodded. "I heard you all yelling." She then walked over to them, carefully avoiding the fire, and stopping in front of Mathias and Berwald. "I heard you say that I have to go away. Big brother Mathias…why did you say that?" she asked, looking up at him with curious eyes the color of silver lightning. The brothers shared an uncomfortable and worried look, unsure of how they should answer. Mathias then picked her up and he began to explain that she would have to be sent into hiding, but that she wouldn't be alone, because her land and her people would be there with her._

 _The more she heard, the more upset she became. "YOU DON'T LOVE ME ANYMORE?" she cried, tears forming in the corner of her eyes, which began to swirl as though a storm were brewing within them._

 _"No, no, we do love you. We love you very much, sweetie!" Mathias exclaimed, trying to calm her down. Her eyes were making him more uncomfortable. Usually, whenever they started to look the way they were, it meant something was going to happen to whoever (or whatever) had agitated her. Usually something unpleasant. He had seen what had happened to a drunken pervert who had gotten too close for comfort, and grabbed her. Runa had warned him to let go. He didn't. It was the last mistake that man would ever make. Even though he was a nation, and wouldn't permanently die from…whatever his sister's power was…he certainly didn't want to be on the receiving end anytime soon._

 _"IF THAT'S TRUE, THEN WHY DO YOU WANT TO GET RID OF ME?" she screamed._

 _"Runa…sis, please calm down and listen." Tino pleaded. He had also seen what had happened to the man that tried to take their sister. There wasn't anything left, except an unidentifiable mass where he had once stood. "We are not trying to get rid of you; we are trying to protect you!"_

 _"It won't be forever you know!" Mathias added. "It'll only be for a few centuries…"_

 _That was the wrong thing to say. Runa suddenly focused, and a palpable energy quickly built up. Mathias soon felt as though his arms were on fire, and despite himself, he gave a cry of pain and dropped the girl. As soon as she hit the ground, she picked herself up and ran into the woods. Mathias and his brothers stood there in shock; none of them ever expected their sister to actually attack one of them. Until now, she always seemed to make them an exception to whatever rules she made for herself; the "warning" of her eyes usually sufficed to get them to back off if she was upset. Several minutes passed, then Mathias took off into the woods, calling out for their sister. Eventually, Emil and the others joined in, searching far and wide throughout the woods._

 _They never found her._

 **Cast in this chapter:  
Emil Steilsson – Iceland  
Mathias K** **øhler – Denmark  
Berwald Oxenstierna – Sweden  
Tino Väinämöinen – Finland  
Lukas Bondevik - Norway  
Runa – Atlantis (OC)**

 **Author's Notes (this is long, sorry) :**

 **I've changed Atlantis' human name from Amma to Runa. The reason for this is that while Amma is an okay name, it's also Old Norse for Grandmother, which probably doesn't make much sense for a character who is a younger sibling of the others. It** ** _could_** **be possible, I suppose. One could theorize that the name meant something else prior to "grandmother", or that the name isn't necessarily referring to a literal grandmother, but rather an "elder"- at least in terms of personality. Of course, that could be wrong, as all I've been able to find indicates that it's from the word for 'grandmother'. (If you know more about the name (its meaning) than I've been able to find, you can share if you'd like. If not, no big deal.)**

 **Runa, for those wondering, has a Norse meaning - "mighty strength". Cliché though it may seem, to me it fits better as it refers to her powers. (I'll elaborate on said powers more as the story progresses.) I haven't chosen a surname for her yet. I'm torn between choosing an existing surname, (even if one of the other Nordics' surnames), and making one up. I'm not very good with making a name up, so I may go the former route. Yes, I know that not all of the Nordics have official names (Finland and Sweden do, whereas Iceland, Norway, and Denmark do not), but I've decided to leave them as the fan-used ones. Interestingly, Himaruya has not listed "Mathias Køhler" among his list of human names he's considered for Denmark, but rather the names he liked are: Andersen, Christensen, Arnessen, Simon Densen, Abel, Mikkel, Magnus, and Bertram. You can see this for yourself on Denmark's Hetalia Wiki page.**

 **Anyway, getting back on track: I've also dropped one aspect of Atlantis's appearance. Atlantis no longer has the markings around her eyes, but unnatural eyes that 'move' depending on her mood. Not very original, I know, but the other seemed a bit of a rip-off. Yes, her eyes kinda sound like Storm's (the X-Men character) eyes when she's using her powers (the color, I mean), but I promise that it's nothing to do with that. It does go with some of the plot, I'll elaborate on that as well as the story progresses. The main reason for this change is that I've changed part of the plot. Runa will still cause havoc in later chapters, much as she did in the original story, but the way she does it has changed. I feel like the 'raging inferno' alone is overused, so I've added something else into it. That you'll see later on.**

 **I need a better way to describe her eyes. To clarify, she has metallic silver shaded gray eyes that are normal (shade aside) when she's calm, and look like a swirling storm cloud/a maelstrom/etc. when she's upset or angry.**

 **All five (canon) Nordics are siblings in this story. I also have it where they once shared a surname, but eventually took separate names as their separate nations developed their own cultures/identities. That may not be historically accurate or realistic, but it'll do for an AU story.** **The characters in this story will primarily be referred to by their human names. Their nation names will be mentioned periodically. I'll specify who is who in the author's notes in case of newer fans or confusion.**

 **Before anyone asks: Atlantis will** ** _not_** **be paired with any existing characters. Not because it's a pet peeve of some people (personally, I don't mind such stories much myself, if they're well-written and not just thrown together for the sake of an "odd" pairing – crack (deliberately ridiculous) stories aside, I don't mind them), but because I cannot think of a decent enough reason to pair her with any of them. I may do another story in the future where she does end up with someone, but that someone would likely be another OC.**


	2. Chapter 1

**Standard Disclaimer: I do not own Hetalia or any of its characters, nor do I claim to.**

 **Please Note: This story is also on my DeviantART account. If you see it on that website, and the artist's username is SymphonicNevermore, that's me. Just letting you know.**

 **Author's Note: There are some cheesy "futuristic" things mentioned in this chapter, and later on throughout the story. It's what came to mind, and I know it isn't overly original. That said, I've at least attempted to make it a generic version of things, instead of existing things from other fandoms.**

 **This isn't too different from the first version, but some parts have been condensed or changed.**

 **As usual, feel free to point out any errors. I do go over what I've read, and I use Spell Check, but it's always possible to miss something.**

 **Constructive criticism/critiques welcome.**

 **Chapter One**

 _*Beep Beep Beep*  
*Beep Beep Beep*_

Emil grumbled in his sleep, for once in no mood to get up at the sound of his alarm. Rolling over, he stretched out an arm and fumbled around, smacking his palm on the top of his nightstand for several minutes, until he heard the automated voice ask him what he wanted to do.

"Alarm, turn off." He said.

The automated voice replied, _"Alarm off. Do you wish to reset the alarm for tomorrow morning?"  
_  
"Okay. Whatever."

" _Sorry, I could not understand you. Do you wish to reset the alarm for tomorrow morning?"  
_ _  
_"YES!"

 _"Processing…your alarm has been successfully reset for tomorrow."  
_ _  
_Emil sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. On the one hand, he liked the organizer, especially the voice-recognition system that prevented people, such as Mathias or Lukas, from messing around with it, but on the other hand, it was rather annoying at times. Seeing that he was now fully awake, he stretched once more before heading downstairs. When he reached the kitchen, he saw his brother Berwald. He was standing at the oven, cooking some bacon and eggs, judging by the scent in the air. Not in the mood to eat, Emil decided to head into the dining room and worry about his own breakfast later. There, he saw Tino sitting in the far seat, eating some porridge and listening to the Finnish Morning News on his pocket holo-player.

Tino looked up as he walked into the room and paused the program.

"Good morning, Emil!" he greeted cheerfully.

"Morning." Emil replied blandly.

"If you're wondering where the others are, Mathias is in the shower, and Lukas is still in his room."

"Okay." Emil mumbled.

Tino's face fell slightly. "What's wrong? Didn't get enough sleep?"

"No…I had a…bad dream. I know it sounds stupid at my age, but…" Emil said.

Tino looked as though he didn't fully believe him, but decided against pursuing the subject.

"Oh…I'm sorry to hear that, Emil. And no, it's not really stupid, we all have bad dreams every now and again; even the oldest nations do, so don't worry about it too much, okay?"

Emil nodded and took a seat next to Tino. "Thanks." He said quietly.

"No problem." Tino replied, resuming the program where he'd left off.

Emil sat there quietly, staring at the surface of the table. He didn't want to reveal that the real reason for his lack of sleep was not a bad dream, but another dream about their sister. He and his brothers had come to an agreement over time that their sister was not to be mentioned during certain times, such as first thing in the morning. Not because they didn't want to talk about her, but because they wanted to ensure that they were fully awake and sober to do so.

To this day, all five of them blamed themselves for her running away, and wondered if they would ever see her again, and if so, what her reaction would be. Emil easily remembered the day she was born. He had been very happy, because it meant that he was no longer the youngest. Their parents had tasked them (or Mathias and Berwald rather, as they were the oldest) with looking after her where and when they could should anything happen to prevent them from doing so, and they had agreed almost immediately.

But they had failed, and drove her away, all because of a curse.

None of them knew who had cursed Runa, or why. Their parents said that they didn't know much either, but that due to said curse, Runa would "wreak havoc, destruction, and devastation upon the world, the likes of which had never been seen." After their parents passed, they were left to care for Runa and help out until her nation could stand on its own, but the thought of the curse weighed heavily on their minds. In the end they had decided that, for their sister's sake, as well as the world's, they would have to send their little sister away. Hopefully that would prevent the curse from coming to pass.

Mathias had initially been against it, arguing that Runa had no control over what had happened to her, and that sending her away was unfair. Berwald, who first suggested the idea, countered by saying that if they could stop the curse from coming to pass, it would save the world, but acknowledged that it would likely put Runa's life at risk. Or more at risk, if the curse wasn't already doing so. Mathias eventually agreed to at least try sending Runa away, but demanded that it only be for a short time.

" _Curse or no curse,"_ he had said, _"Once the time frame is up, I'm going to bring her back, because I still care about her."_

That caused another argument. Berwald had gotten angry that Mathias had, whether directly or not, implied that he only suggested sending Runa away because he didn't care about her. Lukas had tried to join in, only to be ignored by the two, so he dropped out and continued eating with Emil. Tino, who hated it when his brothers fought, tried to intervene, but they weren't listening to him either. He had pointed out that Runa was with them, and that their yelling would likely wake her up, and was proven to be right when she stepped out of the tent.

Runa had apparently been awake for some minutes, and had heard part of the argument, as the first thing she asked was why she had to go away. Mathias and Tino had tried to explain to her their reasons for wanting to send her away, but all that accomplished was further convincing Runa that she was no longer wanted. Then that idiot Mathias had to go too far, which had confirmed it in her mind, for Runa had then attacked Mathias with her powers, causing him to drop her, and ran off into the woods. They had tried to follow her, but as they were in her land, she had the advantage and easily lost them.

They never saw or heard from her again. One day, word reached them that Atlantis had disappeared. Naturally, each of them had traveled to Atlantis to see for themselves, and found the rumors to be true. Atlantis was gone. Not collapsed or conquered, but gone. The land, the people, everything. Although none of them were 100% certain, they suspected that Runa had something to do with it.

Emil had been lost in thought for so long that he hadn't noticed that Berwald had come out and finished his breakfast, and that he and Tino were trying to get his attention.

"Emil…Emil…EMIL!" Tino called.

"Huh? Wha-?" Emil shook his head as he pulled himself out of his thoughts. He looked up at his brothers and soon realized that he had spaced out.

"Oh…sorry." He said. "I didn't get much sleep last night, so I guess I'm still tired."

"Are you sure you're okay?" Berwald asked.

"Yes. I'm fine, really." Emil said. "Sorry to worry you guys."

"Well… if you're sure." Tino said cautiously. Emil nodded. "All right then."

It was silent again for a few minutes, until Berwald spoke again, changing the subject. "You should go get ready, Emil."

"Why?" Emil asked.  
"There's a World Conference today. In Geneva." Berwald explained.

Emil blinked at him. "Another one? So soon?"

"I know, I know, but there's nothing we can do about it, really. The UN called it, and you know how he gets."

"Oh."

"Yeah. It starts at midday, so we'd better leave soon if we're going to get there on time."

"Alright. I'll go and get ready now." Emil said.

He headed upstairs and down the hallway, passing Lukas who had just come out of the shower, went back into his room, and quickly gathered everything he thought he'd need, cramming it into a duffle bag. Once he was ready, he headed back downstairs and rejoined his brothers.

"Ready." He said.

"Good. We'll just wait for Mathias and then we'll be off." Berwald said. Emil nodded and leaned against a wall.  
 _  
_ _"Runa…please forgive us."_

 **Cast in this chapter:**

Emil Steilsson – Iceland  
Berwald Oxenstierna – Sweden  
Tino Väinämöinen – Finland  
Lukas Bondevik – Norway (mentioned)  
Mathias Køhler – Denmark (mentioned)  
Runa (OC) – Atlantis (mentioned)

When I say "mentioned" next to a character's name in the cast list, I mean that they're one (or more) of the following: (Examples are given for added clarity.)

Seen or mentioned but has no dialogue or other interactions. (Example: "If you're wondering where the others are, Mathias is in the shower, and Lukas is still in his room." Tino said.)

Only given dialogue during flashbacks/memories. (Example: _"Curse or no curse,"_ Mathias had said, _"Once the time frame is up, I'm going to bring her back, because I still care about her."_ )

Mentioned by another character, but otherwise unseen. (Example A: "I saw (character 1) the other day." (character 2) said, "but (he/she/they) didn't say anything to me about the situation."  
Example B: "(Character) called me this morning." (character 2) said. "Really?" asked (character 3). "Yeah, (he/she/they) said "I'll catch up with you later. I have some business to attend to first." (character 2) replied.)


End file.
